Mechanics trash luxury Bentley Continental coupe

A GROUP of Russian mechanics have wreaked havoc on a Bentley Continental GT.

The older model - which cost more than $400,000 new - has been completely transformed into the ultimate military-grade sports coupe.

The team from a Russian Top Gear-style show has posted a series of videos on YouTube showing how they transformed the luxury performance coupe into an all-terrain tank.

Gone are the enormous 21-inch alloy wheels and in their place is a military-style tank track set-up.

Bentley Continental GT tank is a beast off-road.

The Frankenstein vehicle retains the posh interior of the two-door, with quilted leather seats and expanses of soft touch materials.

There have been some heavy modifications under the bonnet. The damaged twin-turbo W12 has been replaced by a Toyota-built V8 making 224kW/441Nm.

The video shows the mad mechanics tearing through the Bentley's bodywork with handheld circular saws, altering the stylish coupe to accommodate the tracks and other driving hardware.

The Frankenstein coupe had a tank-style track added.

Bumpers are peeled off and sliced and the doors have also been removed, giving the monster car an apocalyptic look.

The group encountered a few issues when taking the behemoth for a test drive - a track fell off and the brakes didn't exactly work as required. But the Bentley - named "ultratank" - was more than capable off-road, tackling hills and bumpy dirt tracks at high speeds.

Car modifications are nothing new but turning an older luxury vehicle with a massive price tag into a non-roadworthy freak show is not that common.